I thought that the first half of this book was rich with hypocrisy and racism.  The racism aspect of the book is to be expected because the setting is during the American Civil War.  Mrs. Norval seems to be adamant about refusing to accept Lola’s heritage as a full blooded Spanish woman.  Because Lola’s skin is painted black she is treated with disrespect.  Since the black skin is a veil, this misconception leads to numerous examples of hypocrisy.  A standard northern abolitionist family believes in a degree of equality and fairness.  However Mrs. Norval seems to pick and choose when and where to be an abolitionist.  In the company of others she tones down her inherent racism. However, in the seclusion of her house and in the presence of her family she reveals her true feelings.  I feel as if she becomes a different person in social settings to seem progressive and to gain respect from her peers.

Religion is another example of hypocrisy in this book.   Lola’s mother specifically gave instructions to raise Lola as a roman catholic.  This came into conflict with the Protestant beliefs of the Norval family.   An example of this is on page sixty-six.  Mrs. Norval and Dr. Norval were having an argument about Lola’s religion.  Dr. Norval had asked if Mrs. Norval was on her deathbed and asked if she would want her children to be brought up Protestant.  She replies “…but my religion is a rational one, not an absurd belief in images, and saints, and relics, and holy water” (Burton, 66).  This role reversal that Dr. Norval imposed on his wife shows the double standards of that society.   She is essentially saying that the death wish of a Catholic woman should not be respected as opposed to the death wish of a Protestant woman simply because being Protestant is a superior faith to Catholicism.  This self-righteousness foreshadows what is to come in later chapters.